The Haunting
by laceym
Summary: Sam and Dean investigate a haunting by a child ghost. This is a short story.


_The Haunting _by laceym

The clock on the wall read 9:06 p.m. There was no movement in the house as everything was completely still. The kitchen faucet had finally ceased dripping as the water had been disconnected earlier in the day. Maya wiped her forehead as she stared at the maze of blueprints in front of her. The house was old and demonstrated its age with a mixture of bitterness and anger. She sighed as she frowned at the layout of the pipes in the house and was no closer to figuring out how she could get water back into the kitchen. At least the rest of the house still had water in it, which was a necessity especially with the feisty six year old that was currently asleep in the couch across from her mother.

There was that odd scratching again and the lights flickered.

"Damn," Maya whispered. "This house is far too old for us."

Mindy remained in a deep sleep, a fact which made her harried mother grateful. Now if only Maya could get the house to cooperate then everything would be all right. Within minutes Maya was also asleep, completely unaware of the slight figure watching from the steps.

The figure came closer to the couch where Mindy lay asleep. Its fingers reached forward to touch the sleeping child but something shocked it. The tiny face balled up in fury and the room began to shake. Maya's eyes flicked open and she watched in terror as the blueprints began to swirl around the room. There was a strong wind and her instinct was to grab her child. Maya stood and felt herself being propelled backwards across the room. She landed on the kitchen table with a scream.

Mindy woke to see her mother fly across the room and her feet hit the floor as she ran to where her mother lay. Mindy shook her mother but couldn't wake her.

"Leave her alone!" Mindy screamed.

The figure became visible by the couch and the tiny face was distorted.

"I said leave my mommy alone!" Mindy cried even louder.

"No!" the high-pitched response came.

"She's my mommy!" Mindy screamed as she climbed on to the table and threw herself on her mother's prone form.

The figure stopped uncertain. "No," it snarled.

"You can't have my mommy," Mindy screwed up her face.

The figure shifted and disappeared.

Mindy placed her hand on her mother's face and shook her head. She crossed her tiny arms and frowned at the phone that lay on the floor. She jumped down from the table and ran for the cordless instrument. She grabbed it and ran quickly back to the table where she climbed up and pressed her body against her mother's. Maya was still unconscious.

Mindy dug into her pocket and pulled out the paper that had a number written on it. She had learned how to read but had kept that a secret from the others in school. She didn't like her teacher and pretended that she was incapable of doing much. That woman was far too mean to her mommy. Mindy punched the numbers into the phone and listened for the line to ring. It rang five times before it was picked up on the other end.

"Hello," a voice answered.  
"Hello," Mindy swallowed. "Is this John Winchester?"

"Who is this?" the voice sounded concerned.  
"My name is Mindy, I'm six years old and I need help," she said quickly.

"Where's your mom?" the voice questioned.

"She's not waking up," Mindy said. "It's a ghost that attacked her. She won't wake up."

"Where are you?" the voice became gentle.

"I live at 321 Whittaker Lane, Broken Ridge," Mindy rattled off.

"We'll be there in a few hours," the voice assured her. "You have any salt?"

"Salt?" Mindy frowned. "I think so."

"Lay it in a circle around you and your mom," the voice continued. "That will keep you safe until we get there."

"Are you John?" Mindy asked. "You never did answer."

"Sorry sweetie," the voice replied. "I'm John's son, Dean. My brother and I'll be there soon."

"Okay," Mindy sighed. "Hurry."

Sam stared at Dean as he hung up the phone.

"What?" Dean asked. "It's not like we've never taken a call before?"

"How old is this person?" Sam demanded.

"She's six years old and she's scared," Dean told his brother.  
Sam blew his breath out. "She should call the police."  
"A six year old who just happens to know about ghosts and has Dad's phone number," Dean arched his brow at his brother. "That alone is worth looking into."

"How far is this kid?" Sam asked.

"If we haul ass, about three hours," Dean stepped on the gas pedal.

Meanwhile Mindy climbed up on the kitchen counter and found the box labeled salt. She carefully got down on her knees and crawled in a circle making certain that remained inside it. She then climbed back up on to the table and attempted to wake her mother again. Maya's chest moved indicating that she was still breathing, however, there was nothing else that would indicate that she was alive.

"Mommy," Mindy whispered. "Don't worry. They'll be here soon." She cast a furtive glance around the room and against her will her eyes drifted shut.

Three hours later the Impala pulled up in front of the darkened house. Sam stared at it for a moment and shook his head.

"I don't know about this," he said.

"What's there to know," Dean shrugged. "It's either everything works out or it hits the fan."

"That's the part that worries me," Sam said.  
"There's a frightened child in that house Sammy," Dean told him.

"I know," Sam agreed. "Let's go."

They emerged from the Impala and walked to the front door. Sam pulled out his EMF monitor and began scanning the outside of the house. The dials lit up and the signal whined. He stared at his brother for a moment, and Dean understood instantly. He quickly pulled the lock pick from his jacket and opened the front door. Sam frowned as the door swung open.

There was no sign of the ghost when they entered the foyer. Dean quickly scanned the room and spotted the circle of salt. He crossed quickly and stared at the small child lying protectively across her mother. Dean picked her up and Sam reached forward and picked up the mother. They turned to go back the way they came and saw it. Dean looked down on the floor and saw that they were still within the salt circle. He recognized that it was the ghost of a child.

"Damn," he whispered.

"Dean," Sam hissed. "We don't have anything."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "But at least we're still within the circle of salt.

The tiny form stopped near the couch and pictures began flying across the room and slamming into the opposite walls.

"No!" it screamed.

Mindy woke with a start and found herself in the arms of a strange man. Dean shifted her quickly and comforted her.

"Dean?" Mindy asked.

"That's right," Dean replied.

Mindy's small face turned to the ghost. "You can't have her!" she yelled.  
"I want her!" the ghost shouted.

"No!" Mindy screamed.

The ghost began shrieking and the room shook. Sam stepped behind Dean as he checked for the nearest point of egress. Dean followed Sam's actions and knew when Sam pinpointed an exit.

Sam darted for the back door and Dean overtook him, as an unconscious adult woman didn't hamper him. He kicked the door open and ran down the steps with Mindy clinging tightly to him. Sam managed to get out of the house as well. They made it to the car and found the ghost waiting by the gate. Dean pulled the shotgun from under the seat and the ghost vanished.

Sam lay Maya on the trunk of the car and checked her.

"Dean," he said. "I think that we need to get her to a hospital."

"What?" Dean frowned.

Sam stared at Mindy for a moment. "Your Mom has to be looked after by a doctor."

"The doctors don't like my mommy," Mindy told him.

"I'm sure that's not true," Sam said.  
"It's true," Mindy nodded. "I don't know why though. Nobody will tell me anything."

Sam arched an eyebrow. "How old did she say she was?"

"I believe she claimed to be six," Dean shifted her to one side. "I think I'm going to need proof of that one."

Sam chuckled. "All right, let's get her mom to the hospital."

Mindy placed her head on Dean's shoulder. "I don't know if she'll be safe there."

"It's the best place at the moment," Dean told her.

"Uh," Sam frowned at Mindy. "What are we going to do with her?"

"What do you mean?" Mindy asked.  
"Yeah," Dean grinned at his brother.

"We can't Dean," Sam shook his head.

"Why not?" Dean shrugged. "Where are we going to put her?"

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. "This isn't going to work. This is dangerous."

"We'll talk about this later," Dean told him. "Right now, I want to put as much distance between us and that ghost as possible."

Sam nodded and placed Maya inside of the car and climbed into to the passenger seat. Dean placed Mindy in the car and slid behind the steering wheel.

"What's your mom's name?" Sam asked.

"Maya Conrad," Mindy answered.

"Where's your dad?" Sam continued.

"Don't got one," Mindy shrugged.

Dean nodded as he pointed the car in the direction of the nearest hospital. Sam stared at out the window for a few minutes.

"Uh, Mindy," Sam began.

"More questions," Mindy sighed.

"Uh," a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah."

"Go ahead," Mindy said wearily.

"How is it that you have our dad's phone number?" Sam asked.

Mindy reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. She handed it to Sam, who took it and read it.

"You met our dad," Sam frowned.

"Nope," Mindy shook her head. "He gave it to Aunt Marie."

"Who is Aunt Marie?" Dean questioned.

"She's into Hoodoo," Mindy rested her head against the seat. "She did something for him. I don't quite recall what it was. Anyway, he left her that piece of paper with his number on it. When the trouble started she gave it to me, 'cause my mommy didn't believe her."

"So your mommy was seeing the ghost too?" Sam made his voice gentle.

"No," Mindy shook her head. "That ghost didn't make mommy see it before tonight. It's been after me for weeks now."

"Weeks?" Dean slowed the car as they approached the hospital.

"Uh, Dean," Sam stared at the police cars that were parked in front. "What explanation we're going to give?"

"As near the truth as possible Sammy," Dean sighed.

"Okay," Sam nodded.

Dean parked the car and opened the door. He turned and found Mindy reaching for him and he picked her up. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as Sam pulled Maya from the back seat.

"What happened?" an anxious voice called.

Dean spun and saw a nurse in front of them.

"My mommy's hurt!" Mindy instantly cried. Rivulets of tears streamed down her face while Dean quickly rubbed her back.

"How?" the nurse gasped.

"We don't know," Sam spoke up.

"Yes," Dean said. "We got to the house and she was unconscious."

"I couldn't wake her up," Mindy bawled. "I called…but she wouldn't wake up."

The nurse looked at the point of tears as Dean marveled at the young child in his arms. "Why don't you come with me," the nurse smiled.

Mindy's response was to tighten her grip on Dean. She nodded and a stretcher appeared with orderlies who took Maya from Sam.

"This must be so hard for you," the nurse said.  
"The call was frightening," Dean admitted.

Mindy buried her head into Dean's neck while Sam arranged his features to appear appropriately sad.

"We'll need to examine the little girl," the nurse told Dean.

Mindy's head popped up suddenly and she scowled at the nurse. "No!"

"Mindy," Dean jiggled her a bit. "Now the nice nurse just wants to make sure that you're not hurt."

"No!" Mindy repeated.

Dean glanced over at Sam who ducked his head to hide his smile.

"I'll stay with you," Dean told her.

Mindy rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't work that way," she said.

"What doesn't work that way?" Dean frowned.

"She wants to examine me. She's going to ask me all kinds of questions," Mindy explained.

"That's pretty much how it works," Dean agreed.

"Then she's going to ask if you've hurt me," Mindy stared directly into his eyes. "If you hurt Mommy."

Sam coughed and Dean's eyebrows shot up and he narrowed his gaze at the nurse. "You think I'm some sick dude who gets off on hurting women and children?"

"No," the nurse shook her head.

"You're lying," Mindy accused. "I know how all of you think."

"We'll admit her mother," the nurse said. "However we still need to examine the child."

"Come on," Dean jerked his head and Sam disappeared behind the car. "We'll go inside."

He walked away from the nurse and through the doors. Mindy frowned at him.

"You're not serious," Mindy said.

"We have no choice here sweetheart," Dean told her.

"They tried to take me from Mommy before," she admitted.

"What?" Dean switched which side he had her on.

"Yep," Mindy nodded. "When the ghost first showed up. It tried to hurt me. I had all sorts of bruises. They wanted to lock Mommy up."

Dean glanced around the hospital foyer and spotted an exit. "Well, that can happen. No one wants to believe that ghosts exist or can do this sort of thing," Dean moved swiftly through the doors.

Sam pulled the Impala around the corner and Dean got into the passenger side and they drove away from the hospital. Mindy rested her head against Dean's chest.

"This isn't a smart move," Sam said.

"We can drop her off and they'll give her back to her mom," Dean stared out the window.

"I'm not luggage!" Mindy spoke up. "Besides, this is my mommy, and I'm going to help."

"You're six years old!" Sam cried. "What help can you be?"

"I called you didn't I?" Mindy pointed out. "I kept my mommy safe. I've been fighting that ghost for weeks now."

Sam glanced at Dean and Dean shrugged.

"Dean!" Sam called him.

"I don't see how we're going to be able to leave her anywhere," Dean replied.

"We can't take a child with us on a hunt," Sam insisted.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled.

Sam swerved to avoid the child that appeared in the middle of the road. He stepped on the brakes and they both looked behind them. The child was still standing in the road. Mindy stood on the seat and stared at the ghost.

"She's after my mommy," Mindy snarled.  
"There's nothing she can do now," Dean assured her. "Sammy let's find somewhere to hold up. We'll tackle this thing in the morning."

"How?" Sam gripped the steering wheel. "You know that it's going to take ages to figure out who this ghost is. Besides I don't think it's tied to a location."

"We start there," Dean looked at him. "We go to this Aunt Marie."

Mindy turned to stare at Dean. "You're just making this up as you're going along aren't you?"

Sam coughed and Dean pulled her down in the seat. "Just drive Sammy."

"Yep," Sam gunned the engine and headed down the road.

They pulled into a motel parking lot and considered how they were going to approach it.

"You know that they're going to," Sam stared at her.

"Would you rather go back to their house?" Dean asked.

"Okay," Sam sighed. He pulled the door open and got out.

"He's got a point," Mindy said.

"You're way too young to know about these things," Dean grimaced.

"I'm six years old," Mindy protested.

Dean gaped at her. Sam's head poked into the car. "Are the two of you getting out?"

"Yeah," Dean opened the door and Mindy followed him out.

"Uh," Sam looked down at his hands. "I'll get the bags."

"Bags?" Dean arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "We'll check in and then I'll head back to the house and grab some clothes for her."

"No dresses," Mindy ordered.

"She's six," Sam stated flatly.  
"I tell you, I'm waiting for proof of age on that one," Dean commented.

They headed into the main office. The clerk stared at them oddly for a moment and frowned at Mindy.

"Daddy," Mindy tugged on Dean's jacket.

Dean glanced down at her. "Yes honey," he said quietly.

"I want to see the book," she smiled.

Dean bent his knees and scooped her up in his arms.

"Where's Mommy?" the clerk asked.

"Mommy's sick," Mindy made a sad puppy face with her large brown eyes.

"Oh," the clerk commiserated. "So you have to be with Daddy?"

"Yep," Mindy nodded. "Daddy and Uncle have to work, and there was no one to look after me."

"I see," the clerk stared at Sam and Dean.

"Look can we get the room key?" Sam ground out.

The clerk handed the keys to Mindy. "How old is she?" the clerk asked Dean.

"Well, we thought she was six, but when she speaks we swear that she's a senior citizen," Dean replied.

"It's kids these days," the clerk agreed. "They're born old."

They turned and headed to the room. Sam exhaled as they opened the door and settled inside.  
"Okay," he scratched his head. "I'm going to get some clothes for her. I know, no dresses," he stopped the protest before it sounded. "I'm also gonna call Bobby and see if we can't work on tracking that ghost down."

"I agree," Dean removed his jacket and threw it on a chair.

Mindy picked up the remote control and turned on the television. Dean grabbed the remote control and changed the channel quickly. Mindy frowned at him.

"Cartoons," he muttered. "We need to find you some cartoons."

"What were they doing?" Mindy asked.

"When you're older, your mom will explain," Dean replied.

"That's not an answer," Mindy challenged.

"I'm going to go now," Sam said as he quickly ducked out of the room.

Mindy stared at the door for a moment. "I'm hungry," she said.

Dean sighed as he shrugged back into his jacket. "Come on," he pulled open the door.

"Sam took the car," Mindy said.

"There's a diner that we can walk to," Dean smiled at her.

"You do realize that I'm six," Mindy pointed out.  
"Yeah," Dean nodded. "So you keep telling me."  
Mindy walked through the door and Dean took her hand as they walked down to the diner.

It was the regular sort of place and they took a booth. Dean pulled out his cell phone and punched in Sam's number.

"Yeah," Sam answered.  
"We're getting some food," Dean told him. "When you get back we'll probably still here."

"Okay," Sam agreed.

Dean hung up the phone and regarded Mindy studying the menu. His eyebrows went up as he realized that she could read.

"How long have you been doing that?" he asked.

"About two years now," Mindy shrugged. "No one knows 'cept Aunt Marie."

"Because she taught you?" Dean prodded.

"I don't know," Mindy continued studying the menu.

The waitress came up to them. "Hey honey," she smiled.

"Hi," Mindy smiled at her. "I want chocolate mousse."

"For dinner?" Dean shot her a meaningful look.

"I'm okay with that," Mindy stared at him. "Besides, it's not like I can't afford it. It's not going to go straight to my hips you know."

The waitress chuckled as Dean's eyebrows shot up.

"She's how old?" the waitress asked.

"Allegedly six," Dean replied with a half smile.

"I have to order something else?" Mindy demanded.  
"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Food."

"Nag, nag, nag," Mindy muttered. "I'll have a cheeseburger and fries."

"I'll have the same," Dean told the waitress.

"Shouldn't you be watching your cholesterol?" Mindy asked.

Dean leaned forward. "Cut it out now," he said quietly.

Mindy sat back and smiled at the waitress. "I'll have chocolate milk and no mousse, thank you."

Dean nodded to the waitress who left to place their order. Mindy turned her placemat over and reached for the crayons and stopped. She stared at Dean for a moment.

"Go ahead," he said.

"You're going to be mad at me?" she asked.

"No," Dean smiled. "Just lay off a bit."

"Okay," Mindy selected a crayon and began coloring.

Dean's phone rang. "Yeah?" he answered.

"I'm on my way back," Sam told him.  
"What happened?" Dean frowned at the tone in Sam's voice.

"Well, apparently, Maya's missing from the hospital," Sam said.

"Great," Dean muttered.

"There were cops everywhere," Sam said. "I did some creative dodging to get away from the house before they went in."

Dean ended the phone call. "Uh Miss," he called to the waitress.

She returned to the table, "Yes?"

"We're going to take the order to go," Dean said.

"Okay," she looked at him.

"Right," Mindy nodded. "We don't want to miss Mommy's call."

The waitress beamed at that thought. They were given their food in a few minutes. Dean paid the bill and they returned to the room where they found Sam waiting. Dean handed him the food. Sam frowned.

"I'm all right," Dean told him. "You eat."

"What are you going to do?" Sam demanded.  
"I'm going to call Bobby," Dean said. "Wait here with her. I'll be back."

"Do I get to watch T.V.?" Mindy asked.

"Sure," Dean said as he turned on the television. Mindy settled with her food while Sam took a seat across from her.

Dean walked away from the room and dialed Bobby.

"Hello," Bobby picked up on the fourth ring.

"Bobby," Dean said.

"Dean," Bobby replied. "What happened?"

"We got a phone call and came to Broken Ridge," Dean said. "There's a haunting. But it's got complicated."  
"How complicated?" Bobby demanded.

"It's a ghost, as in a child," Dean explained.

Bobby drew in a sharp breath. "Those are always a bitch to deal with."  
"I know," Dean said.

"How come you got the call?" Bobby asked.

"This kid had Dad's number," Dean said. "She called and she needed help."

"How old is this kid?" Bobby's voice took on a sharp note.

"She claims she's six," Dean said.

"Exactly where are you?" Bobby demanded.

"Room 32 at the Broken Ridge Arms," Dean told him.

"Give me a few hours," Bobby said. "I'll be right there."

"I think we can handle this," Dean said.  
"No," Bobby disagreed. "If it's what I think it is, then it's going to get a helluva a lot worse before it gets better. How's the mother?"

"She's missing from the hospital," Dean said.

"What was she doing in the hospital?" Bobby questioned.

"She was unconscious when we found her," Dean answered.

"Damn it!" Bobby swore. "I'll be there in a few hours. Don't move until I get there."

"Okay," Dean frowned as he hung up the phone.

He walked back to the room and began preparing the place. He laid down the salt and Sam watched him out of the corner of his eye.

"What did Bobby say?" Sam asked finally.

"He's coming," Dean told him.

"What?" Sam was puzzled.

"Beats me as well," Dean stared at Mindy who watched them with interest. "Okay, I think that you should get ready for bed and brush your teeth."

Mindy jumped off the chair and rummaged through her bag. She found a toothbrush and toothpaste but she frowned at the clothes.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"You didn't bring my sleep clothes. Although you did bring underwear," Mindy observed.

Sam arched an eyebrow. "You need to sleep in something particular?"

"Yes," Mindy glared at him.

Dean reached into his bag and pulled out a T – shirt. "Here," he said. "That will do for tonight."

Mindy took the shirt and smelled it.

"It's clean," Dean insisted.  
"I'm just checking," Mindy said, as she made her way to the bathroom and locked the door.

"That's six?" Sam asked.

"Apparently," Dean replied.

"Huh," Sam shook his head.

"Okay," Dean scratched his head. "You get some sleep and I'll take the first watch."

"I think that you should," Sam said.

"Nope," Dean shook his head. "Just do it."

Sam shrugged. The door opened and Dean pulled down the sheet and put Mindy to bed.

Sam came awake and found Dean staring at the wall. He got up from the bed and walked over to his brother.

"We got to solve this thing fast," he whispered.

"We're going to find that woman Aunt Marie," Dean said. "We'll see if she can keep Mindy while we track this thing down."

"We better figure out why it's targeting them," Sam said.

"That's going to be a bitch to figure out," Dean sighed.

"I know," Sam agreed. "The hardest thing to figure out is a child ghost's motive. And they're usually more violent than older ghosts."

"Don't remind me," Dean closed his eyes briefly.

"Get some rest," Sam said. "It's my turn."  
Dean nodded and climbed into the bed that Sam had just vacated. He closed his eyes and felt something beside him. He snapped open his eyes and saw Mindy settling her head on his chest.

"Your bed is over there," Dean told her.

"I'm scared," Mindy said.

"You kick me in your sleep and you're history, understood?" Dean said.

"Okay," she nodded and promptly went to sleep.

Dean's eyes met his brother's. Sam struggled to suppress his laughter. Dean closed his eyes.

He woke a few hours later and stared at the sleeping child next to him. He shook his head and gently slipped from the bed. He found Sam asleep in the chair but left him to sleep. Dean stretched and there was a knock on the door. He opened it and found Bobby at the door.

"Bobby," Dean greeted him.

Bobby entered the room and Sam came awake in that instant.

"Bobby," he said.

"Sam, Dean," Bobby's eyes went to the bed where the tiny figure sat up rubbing her eyes. "So that's the little girl."

Mindy stared at Bobby for a moment. "Little girl?" she scowled at him.

Bobby's eyebrows went up. "Sorry, pint sized woman," he said to Dean.

Dean chuckled. "She's a handful," he noted.

"That's putting it mildly," Sam commented.

"Who's he?" Mindy demanded.  
"Someone who's going to help," Dean told her. "Now, go get ready and we'll get something to eat."

Mindy nodded and hopped out of the bed. She dragged her bag forward and then stopped and stared at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked her.

"Who's going to comb my hair?" she asked.

Both Sam and Bobby glanced at Dean. Dean threw his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"Just get ready and we'll work something out," Dean sighed.

"Okay," Mindy agreed.

They waited for the bathroom door to close.

"I take it you went by the hospital," Sam said.

Bobby took a seat. "They're not sure how an unconscious woman managed to get out of the hospital," he told them.

"We've got to get to this Aunt Marie," Sam said.

"Marie's not exactly going to be particularly happy about this," Bobby stated.

"You know her?" Sam and Dean said in unison.

"Unfortunately," Bobby grimaced. "Look, we'll go together, hopefully she'll be so relieved to see Mindy that she won't not shoot us."

Dean's eyebrow shot up in the air. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Later," Bobby said.

Mindy emerged from the bathroom and an amused Sam watched as Dean scraped her hair with a brush into a single ponytail. Dean shot Sam withering looks and Sam struggled to keep a straight face. It didn't help that the waitress complimented Mindy about her hairstyle when they took her to breakfast.

They checked out of the motel and headed up the old River road to the outskirts of the town. They found a dirt road and drove down it. At the end of the road was a house that appeared as ancient as the trees that surrounded it. The car came to a stop and a strong woman with a hardened face stepped out on to the porch. Dean opened the door and Mindy went running past him.

"Aunt Marie!" Mindy yelled as she leapt into the arms of older woman.

Dean closed the door of the Impala and Sam did the same. Bobby drove up behind them and parked. He got out and faced a scowling Marie.

"Bobby!" her voice cut coldly through the air. "How is that these two had Mindy?"

"She called them," Bobby told her. "I presume with the number that you gave her."

"I gave her John Winchester's number," Marie returned evenly.

"These are his boys," Bobby explained.

"I see," Marie nodded. She kissed the top of Mindy's head and placed her on the floor. "Go on inside and let the older people talk."

"I want to know where my mommy is," Mindy screwed up her face.

"You'll find out soon enough," Marie spun her and sent her through the door with a pat.

Sam and Dean stood in place. They watched the exchange between Bobby and Marie with interest.

"Your daddy was a good man," she told them.

"Yes ma'am," they replied.

Marie's eyebrow arched slightly. "Pity he couldn't have found the other one when it happened."

"What happened?" Bobby demanded.

"She's dead," Marie answered.

"That I figured," Bobby rubbed his jaw. "The question is what does she want?"

"What do they all want?" Marie sighed. "Life."

"You know who the ghost is?" Dean stared at Bobby.

"It's Mindy's twin," Marie explained. "The night when they were born, the other one was taken. I called Bobby to help me find her. But he was too far away. Your daddy came to help. But we couldn't find her."  
"The police didn't help?" Sam questioned.

"They didn't want to help," Marie's mouth pressed into a grim line. "They considered it not worth their time. Especially with the scandal and all."

"Scandal?" Dean leaned against the car.

"The mayor seduced Maya when she was 16 and got her good and pregnant," Marie spat. "It took all of my skills to keep that child safe from him. In the end Bobby helped with a well aimed shotgun."

"Of course, when the other was stolen," Bobby shrugged.  
"No one was willing to help," Sam finished.

"So something happened to that one and she's now making Maya pay?" Dean sighed.

"Actually," Marie shook her head. "She went after Mindy. I gave Mindy a protective amulet, which is how she's able to fight her off. Mindy doesn't know who the ghost is, but she's fighting with everything she's got."  
"Maya was taken by the ghost," Sam told her.

Marie sighed. "I was afraid of that," she nodded. "Bobby, you're going to have to come with me. I'm going to need some muscle. These two will need to go back to the house. That's where Maya would have been taken. That's where you need to fight her."

"What about Mindy?" Dean asked.

"She's going to have to go with you," Marie told him.

"That's not going to work out well," Sam said.

"We've got no choice," Marie said. "Besides, she's been fighting it for weeks."

Mindy returned to the porch. "Where's my mommy?"

"You're going to go with them," Marie told her. "Your mommy's at the house. Your house."

"I'm going to go see her," Mindy's face broke out in a broad grin.

"You're going to be a brave girl, like we talked," Marie said.  
"Yes," Mindy agreed.

Dean stared at her and she took his hand.

"You sure about this?" Dean looked at Marie.

"What Bobby and I have to do, it's easier if Mindy stayed with the two of you," Marie told him.

Sam shook his head but remained silent.

Marie left with Bobby in his car. Sam stood on the porch watching the car as it drove out of sight. He turned to his brother.

"I don't like this," he said.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Come on, let's get back to the house."

"What am I going to do?" Mindy asked.

"You're going to stay in the car and not get out," Dean told her.

"It's going to get dangerous in there, Mindy," Sam added. "We want you out of harm's way."

"It's my mommy that's in there," Mindy tightened her jaw.

Dean knelt so that he was eye level with her. He placed his hand on her face and smiled.

"Look, you called us to help," Dean said gently. "And that's what we're going to do. So you have to trust us."

"Okay," Mindy relented.

Dean picked her up and carried her to the car. He threw the keys to Sam who slid behind the steering wheel. Sam drove to Mindy's house. The place was deserted and there were no police cars anywhere in sight. Dean frowned as he looked at the house. Sam pulled the car to a stop and stared at the house as well.

"Doesn't it strike you as odd," Sam spoke. "That no one has come looking for her?"

"Yes," Dean admitted.

"I hate this," Sam muttered.

"Me too," Dean sighed. "All right, Mindy, you are stay in the car. No matter what happens."

"Yes," Mindy nodded.

Dean frowned at her and got out of the car. Sam followed him to the trunk where they got shotguns and loaded them with rock salt. The door opened and Mindy appeared beside them.

"Mindy," Dean growled. "What did I say?"  
"Stay in the car," Mindy answered.

"Are you in the car?" Dean asked.

"No," Mindy replied.

Dean glared at her and she hung her head. "Get in the car," he said.

Mindy walked back to the front of the car and got in.

"Dean," Sam said.

"She's got to obey," Dean insisted.

"She's not like us," Sam told him. "She's been raised…"

"It doesn't change the fact that we don't know what's waiting for us in there," Dean stated. "That thing came after her first. I don't want it to get another crack at her."

Sam studied his brother for a moment and nodded. Dean closed the trunk and cranked the shotgun.

They entered the house slowly through the back door. Sam and Dean stealthily walked through the kitchen but saw nothing. Dean signaled with his hands for Sam to check behind the door. Still there was nothing. Dean lowered the shotgun.

"Nothing," he said.

"Something's not right," Sam said.

"I know," Dean agreed.

The table came flying across the room and both of them hit the floor to avoid being by it. The cabinet with all the crockery followed the table. Dean crawled along the floor while Sam got closest to the wall and dodged a sheaf of knives that came flying at his head.

"What is with this kid?" Sam yelled.

"I hate child ghosts," Dean muttered.

The lights began flicking on and off and suddenly Sam felt himself being lifted into the air. Dean attempted to aim the shotgun and got slammed from behind and the shotgun went flying. Dean rubbed his shoulder as he stared at the pot that had just collided with him.

Dean ran to where Sam was and attempted to pull him free of the wall. Sam began choking as the invisible vice tightened around his throat. Sam's eyes widened as the ghostly apparition became visible. Dean sensed it and turned to shoot, but his weapon was on the floor away from him. He lunged for it and was thrown against the stove. Dean shook his head and got off the stove. He saw Mindy appear behind the ghost with the shotgun.

"No!" Dean yelled.

"Eat salt!" Mindy screamed at the ghost as she pulled the trigger and went flying backwards.

Dean raced across the room and Sam having been released from the wall caught his breath and then followed Dean. Dean grabbed Mindy off the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" she cried.

Dean checked her to make certain that she wasn't hurt and crushed her to his chest. She struggled against him.

"Dean," Sam put his hand on his brother's shoulders. "I think you're smothering her."

Dean loosened his grip. Mindy shook her head.

"I told you to stay in the car," Dean snarled.

"I had to come," Mindy said with tear filled eyes.

"You could have been hurt," Dean told her.

"Dean," Sam called.  
"What?" Dean turned and saw Maya being dragged down the stairs. Her eyes were glazed and she seemed unaware of what was happening. Her skin was pale and they realized that she didn't have much longer to live.

"Crap," he muttered.

"Mommy," Mindy stared at Maya.

The ghost reappeared and they stared at it. The front door swung open and Marie came in with a woman and Bobby in tow.

"Stop Lara!" Marie commanded.

The ghost altered her appearance and became an exact replica of Mindy. Dean held her closer.

Marie threw the woman on the floor. "Release Maya, it isn't her you're angry at," Marie told her.

"I want my mommy," Lara said.

Mindy gripped Dean's collar more tightly, "Shh!" Dean hushed her.

"This is the woman who stole you," Marie said. "She's the one who hurt you."

Lara turned to the woman who sobbed loudly at the sight of the child. Lara screamed and rushed at the woman, who in turn screamed as the ghost took her.

"Go now child!" Marie commanded. "Leave them."

The ghost vanished.

Maya gasped and shook her head. "Mindy!" the cry was torn from her.

"Mommy!" Mindy wriggled out of Dean's grasp and ran to her mother.

Sam pulled Dean to his feet. They watched as Maya checked her child and then hugged her tightly. Bobby stood in the doorway staring at the woman who was now dead on the floor.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"She had stolen the baby," Bobby explained. "Then about three months ago she murdered the child by drowning her in the river."  
"We found the article," Marie continued. "It was the anger of the child who came to wreak revenge on Maya. She wanted to replace Mindy. But…"  
"So now she's at rest?" Sam demanded.  
"We'll have to purge the place and get them to move. There's a ritual I have to perform on Mindy and I don't think that Maya will object to it now." Marie finished.

"I'll stay and help," Bobby said.

"What about the body?" Sam pressed

"This wouldn't be the first body I've got rid of," Marie told him.

Dean nodded. "We'll catch you later Bobby."

"Uh," Sam stopped. "Why weren't the police looking for Mindy?"  
"The ghost fixed that," Marie smiled. "She had taken Maya from the hospital and when the police came it wasn't hard for her to fool them. They're not really interested in looking too close anyway."

Dean chuckled. "That worked to our advantage."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

They walked out of the house and to the car. They heard footsteps running behind them. Dean spun and caught Mindy as leapt into the air.

"Thank you," she kissed him on the nose.

Dean smiled. "Any time, sweetheart. Any time," he told her.

She smiled at Sam, "Thanks as well."  
Sam waved to her. Mindy went running back into the house where a dazed Maya remained with Marie and Bobby. Sam tossed the car keys to Dean who caught them. They both looked back at the house.

"Can you imagine what she's going to be like when she grows up?" Sam asked.

Dean looked at him and grinned. "Oh, she's going to be awesome," he predicted.

Sam laughed in response. They got into the car and drove away from the house.

The End.


End file.
